TV Shows Inspired by Movies

Reality Bites Is Becoming a TV Show — See Other TV Series Inspired by Movies

Nineteen years after it came out in theaters, Reality Bites may become a TV show. Director and star Ben Stiller and screenwriter Helen Childress are rebooting the movie as a TV series for NBC, in which Lelaina (played by Winona Ryder in the film) would follow her friends around with a video camera in the early '90s (yep, just like in the movie). The news made us think: what other TV series started off as films? Quite a few, as it turns out. Check out the most memorable series inspired by feature films!

Joss Whedon took the 1992 movie about a teenage vampire slayer and turned it into a cultural phenomenon in 1997 with Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Sarah Michelle Gellar took Kristy Swanson's place, and seven seasons (and a spin-off) later, the world of teenage vampire hunters has never been the same.

The 1984 James Cameron film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger has been through several sequels and iterations since its premiere, but the most recent television adaptation is 2008's Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. The show only lasted two seasons, but we can't complain, seeing as star Lena Headey graduated to one of our favorite series, Game of Thrones.

The 1970 film MASH was nominated for best picture, but most people are probably more familiar with the TV show, which ran for 11 seasons starting in 1972 and spawned a successful spin-off (Trapper John, M.D.) and a less-than-successful spin-off (After MASH).

Michael J. Fox may have gotten the Teen Wolf ball rolling with the 1985 movie, but recently the story has taken on a new life courtesy of MTV. The network revived the concept, but put a darker spin on it for its 2011 series starring Tyler Posey.

A classic was born in 1995 when Clueless was released, but as proved by the underwhelming 1996 TV series, it was hard to maintain the magic. Star Alicia Silverstone dropped out (to be replaced by Rachel Blanchard), but a couple of the original cast members stayed on, including Stacey Dash and Donald Faison.

The 1960 classic Psycho is one Alfred Hitchcock's best films, and AMC has been giving Norman Bates a backstory with the series Bates Motel. Can't you see the resemblance between Anthony Perkins and his young counterpart, Freddie Highmore?

Steve Martin headed up the Buckman family in a huge ensemble cast for 1989's dysfunctional family comedy Parenthood. The film has actually been brought to the small screen more than once: the short-lived 1990 series starring Ed Begley Jr. and a young Leonardo DiCaprio was canceled after just 12 episodes. However, in 2010, NBC revisited the clan once more, giving them a new name (the Bravermans), a more dramatic tone, and an all-star TV cast that keeps us stocking up on Kleenex each week.

John Hughes helmed 1985's Weird Science, about two nerds who conjure up an anatomically perfect woman. Fast forward nine years and subtract one Anthony Michael Hall, and the TV series, which lasted five seasons, was born.

The 1990 French film La Femme Nikita introduced the world to stealthy assassin Nikita, but that wasn't the last we heard from her. The 1997 series (also called La Femme Nikita) aired for five seasons, and the character can currently be seen (played by Maggie Q) on The CW in Nikita.

Friendly, furry giant Harry is first discovered by the Henderson family in the memorable 1987 movie, but he returned for the 1991 TV series. The show lasted three seasons, but none of the moments are as ingrained in our minds as when John Lithgow said goodbye to Harry in the forest. I'm crying, guys.

Before Sean Patrick Flanery was in The Boondock Saints, he was an amateur archeologist in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, which ran for two seasons in 1992. Inspired by the Indiana Jones movie series with Harrison Ford (which began in 1981 with Raiders of the Lost Ark), the show never quite found its footing.

Melissa Joan Hart played Sabrina Spellman in both the 1996 movie and the TV series, which began the same year and ran for seven seasons. By the end, she was no longer a teenage witch, but more of a full-on college student witch.

Though the 2004 movie wasn't too shabby, most people are more prone to associate Friday Night Lights with the critically lauded TV series that began two years after the release of the movie. Kyle Chandler earned an Emmy for his portrayal of Coach Eric Taylor, and the series will live on as one of the most realistic and beloved sports dramas on TV.